Description ²

Opossums have a long head with a pointed snout and long whiskers. All opossums have long, tapered tails with a scaly appearance. Females have a fur-lined pouch to carry their young. Northern populations have thick underfur that is white in color and has black tips. The pale guard hairs give the opossum a gray appearance. In southern populations, the underfur is much sparser. Both northern and southern populations have white cheek hairs. Total length varies between 350 and 940 mm, tail length varies between 216 and 470 mm. Males are larger than females with male weight ranging from 0.8 to 6.4 kg and female weight ranging from 0.3 to 3.7 kg.

Habitat ³

Opossums prefer wet areas, however, especially streams and swamps.

Conservation status ⁴

Widespread and common species throughout its range, and is adaptable to human dominated landscapes. Commercial hunting for the fur trade does not appear to have much impact.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) okaloosascience, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by okaloosascience
2. Adapted by okaloosascience from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31391055
3. Adapted by okaloosascience from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31391054
4. Adapted by okaloosascience from a work by (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31028150

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• ASM Mammal Diversity Database
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CalPhotos
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• VertNet

Range Map

(c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

iNat Map